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Baked Chickpea Fritters

I have no idea where or when I ate my first falafel but I do know that it was love at first bite. I think it was my sister who introduced me to the magic that is that tiny ball of crunchy and fluffy chickpeas. Since then, I’ve been OBSESSED. I try to get my falafel fix wherever I can get it; most commonly at the Whole Foods hot bar. I know, it’s not exactly ‘legit’ but it fills the void.

After trying it for the first time, I’d been dying to try and recreate that magic at home. Now, I’m not one to experiment much in the kitchen with savory items. I personally like the comfort of established recipes but I really wanted to put my own spin on this. Most falafel recipes have common ingredients, so I cross referenced with what I had and didn’t and got to work.

This recipe was the result of three (four?) different tries. The first ones were way too smooth and soaked up a ton of oil but the flavor was there (and I also forgot to write down what I did). The second ones were on point texturally but were lacking in flavor. I repeated what I did the second time and tried to amp up the flavors, which resulted in salty fritters. At this point, I had been eating chickpeas several times for three weeks straight. I wanted to try one more time, tasting as I went along, and got something I was happy with.

My fritters are pretty different from traditional falafel. For starters, these are baked. The first three tries, I pan fried them in some oil. They came out all nice and crunchy but they soaked up all that oil, which was kind of a turn off. Instead, I brushed them with a little bit of oil before baking and added a couple teaspoons to the chickpea mix.

Mom’s Sofrito/sazón. Can you guess what’s in here?

Another big difference is in the ingredients. Traditional falafel recipes use tons of fresh herbs and other spices, most of which aren’t used in my house. The issue here is that if I buy them, they’d go bad. I’m not one to waste food, so I looked for another way to give my fritters flavor, even if it meant sacrificing authenticity. Enter my mom’s secret ingredient. Go into any Dominican woman’s household and there is a chance that somewhere in her kitchen, she’s hiding her signature flavor bomb. I’m talking about sofrito. Sofrito is basically a blended mixture of a bunch of seasoning ingredients. Common ingredients in this stuff ranges from a variety of peppers, onions, garlic, tons of cilantro; among other things. I’m not exactly sure what’s in my mom’s sazón or else I’d tell you, but I plan on getting that recipe…. eventually. For now, I just stole a couple tablespoons.

Along with my mom’s Dominican sazón, I also threw in some of her other essential ingredient; Adobo all purpose seasoning. With this, please be careful. This stuff is salty if you put in too much, so watch your salt amounts when using this stuff. This is probably why my third try came out too salty. And finally, I added some dried parsley.

The result? A surprisingly crunchy but creamy and chunky little fritter! I was very happy with these results. They were flavorful, spicy, and totally not greasy. Sure, they weren’t ‘legit’ falafel but at least with this recipe, I can get my fill of chickpeas in the comfort of my own home. They are far from perfect but for my first time creating a recipe, I’d say I did pretty well.

Baked Chickpea Fritters – a Lucy the Baker Original

Makes 15 fritters

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of chopped onions

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon Adobo all purpose seasoning

3-4 tablespoons sofrito/sazón

1-2 teaspoons olive oil

3/4 teaspoon dried parsley

Pinch of Kosher salt

2-4 tablespoons of flour

Olive oil for brushing/coating

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of your food processor, add the chopped onion and garlic cloves. Add the chickpeas, along with the red pepper flakes, Adobo, sofrito, oil, dried parsley, and a pinch of salt. Pulse until the mixture is chunky but combined.

Empty the contents of your processor into a bowl, giving it a mix with a rubber spatula. Add the flour by the tablespoon, mixing after each addition. Check to make sure the mixture is not too dry or too wet; it should come together when gently pressed into a ball but it shouldn’t be too sticky.

Using a small disher or a tablespoon, portion out the chickpea mix onto the prepped baking sheet. Gently flatten out the balls, and brush with a little bit of olive oil. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Flip them over and bake for another 10-15 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Lucy’s Tips:

I’m assuming the majority of you don’t have access to sofrito/sazón. In lieu of that, please add more onions, cilantro, and some bell peppers to your mix. At least until I can grab that secret and post the recipe!

When adding the flour, less is more. Test the mix after each tablespoon to make sure you’re not adding too much flour.

You can find Adobo all purpose seasoning in the ethnic aisle of most supermarkets. You’ll also find something in a jar called “sofrito.” It’s not exactly the same but it’s an okay sub to the one I used here.

You can also make the mixture and throw it in the fridge for a while, if needed. It’ll help the flavors develop.

Want to fry them? You can pan fry them in some canola oil or take the plunge (ha) and deep fry them. If you’re pan frying, put them on a baking sheet and bake them in the 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes after frying.